She's Changing Me
by queenheart25
Summary: THIS IS MY FIRST ATTEMPT AT FANFICTION. Please, don't be too harsh! Also, the title of my story is from a Fleetwood Mac song. And the chapter titles are going to all be from the album Heroes Are Hard To Find. In this story...Haruka meets Michiru at high s
1. Heroes Are Hard To Find

**She's Changing Me**

Heroes Are Hard To Find

Haruka Tenoh, beyond frustrated, pulled at the short, blonde bangs framing her face. "What ever convinced me to cut my hair this short…" She mumbled, talking to no one. It was the first day of her first year of high school, and despite the outward façade…Haruka was terrified. "Agh!" The statuesque beauty yelled out. Despite some rather obvious female characteristics, Haruka liked to carry herself with a confidence that rivaled any man's. She was tough, and also extremely protective. And more than a few people were scared of her, which is why no one ever dared to make her angry. Besides, they all had witnessed what happened between Haruka and a boy named Lars, a new student, when he started to tease Haruka because of her sexual orientation. "So what if I'm a lesbian?" She shouted. "It makes no difference at all! Except that, oh, you're jealous because that means you'll never get a chance with me." After a week in the hospital suffering from a few broken bones, Lars never returned to that Junior High School. And Haruka couldn't have been bothered. She had dealt with her fair share of discrimination, but over time, and a lot of failed relationships… Haruka learned that it was better to ignore the hateful words people would spew in her and her girlfriend's direction. It wasn't going to matter in the end. Yet, despite how furiously and passionately Haruka believed in equality, she just couldn't seem to find a girlfriend that felt the same way. But something about today she felt was going to be different. A chill ran all the way down her spine, as it often did when something exciting was about to head her way.

Meanwhile, all the way across town, another 16 year old girl sat in front of a large vanity mirror applying a second coat of light peach lipgloss. Her frame is so tiny she almost looks like she will disappear into the air; her skin looks as if it's been crafted from the finest porcelain, and her hair cascades down her back in sea foam green ringlets. She gives the impression of being just like a living doll. And to say that she was popular would be nothing but an understatement. But that's exactly what always worried Michiru Kaioh. Especially when she had to move to a new town, which was frequent, all because of her gift…her talent. For as long as she could remember, Michiru had been known for her skills with the violin. Every day Michiru would receive countless fan letters from a various range of people. From old women saying how her music was keeping them alive to young men with marriage proposals. But Michiru wouldn't be interested in those gentlemen callers, even if they weren't strangers and she did know them. Another thing that Michiru has known for many years is that she definitely wasn't straight. Although… She hasn't actually put her theory to the test yet. Michiru Kaioh is the kind of girl who,if she was going to do anything at all, she was going to make sure she did it right. And something was telling her that today was going to be a day that would change the rest of her life. "But I've been wrong before…" She muttered, cynically, talking to an audience of stuffed bears.

Haruka parked her shiny new black sports car in a parking spot near the back of the nearly empty parking lot of SunnySide High School. New hair, new car, and…. "New jacket!" she exclaimed out loud to no one but herself and a couple of birds that were fighting over a piece of someone's long forgotten breakfast sandwich . Haruka picked up the soft navy blue jacket from the passenger side of the car and fingered the embroidery gingerly. It spelled out in white cursive lettering "Haruka Tenoh" on the right arm. It was an expensive jacket that she had had her eye on for months, and had worked really hard to own. "Success sure is sweet…" she mumbled, as she tossed the jacket over her shoulders and headed for the doors of the school.

Michiru sighed. Today was either going to be excellent or suck so bad you could taste it. "I just hope…" She trailed off in a mumble. Michiru shook her head as if hoping that would erase the dark thoughts that had been surrounding her for the last few weeks, took one last glimpse at her near perfect reflection in the mirror and then grabbed the silver backpack laying near the floor. Since SunnySide was close to her new house, her parents had told her just to walk. As soon as the cool autumn breeze hit her face, Michiru felt a rush of relief surge through her. Maybe this won't be so bad after all, she thought, as a smile danced across her lips. She was getting worked up for no reason at all.

"Hey, watch it!" Haruka demanded as she plowed through a group of her fellow freshmen. A few of the girls swooned in her direction and Haruka just smiled and winked as she kept on walking. I hope they do realize I'm of the same sex…She thought, with a slight chuckle. She knew, deep down that they definitely didn't this year, and that made it even better. Haruka was going to get to mess with a few heads this year. "DYKE!" In more than one way. Haruka _accidentally_ elbowed the jerk who called her that name, proving that she was more than a forced to be reckoned with. "You wanna try that again, honey?" Haruka whispered to the boy who was now cowering. "I thought so." She said defiantly as she marched, head held high, through the rest of the hallway to her first class of the day.

Michiru ran through the front doors of the school just as the bell was ringing. "NO!" She yelled as she ran around aimlessly. She had received her schedule in the mail, and she was supposed to go to her homeroom class first… Room 356. "UGH!" Michiru yelled, almost in tears. "This isn't supposed to happen… Just breathe…" Eventually, after what was only brief minutes but seemed like hours to Michiru, she found her classroom. "You're late." The professor snarled before even taking so much as a glance at the shaken teenager. "I'm terribly sorry. It won't happen again, I promise." The professor turned around. "OH! Michiru Kaioh! I love your music. My wife does too. Please, please sit down. And welcome to SunnySide. We're all honoured to have such a gifted presence here." Michiru blushed deeply and slipped into the only empty seat-front row center. Her fellow female students were already giggling and gossiping, while she could see some of the boys out of the corner of her eye practically drooling. Perfect, she thought, this is just perfect.

The bell rang for lunch at 12:00. "Thank god!" Michiru yelled out as she headed as fast as she could to the cafeteria. If one more teacher stops in the middle of a lecture to tell me how much they love my music, I'm going to lose it, she thought. Michiru was thinking more than she was concentrating on where she was going, and in that moment of mental blindness she ran right into a fellow student. "What the hell is the matter with you people today?" The voice questioned, in a rather gruff tone that could have been either feminine or masculine. "I'm sorry…" Michiru trailed off as she looked up to see someone taller than she, but absolutely stunning. It was Haruka. And Haruka's jaw hit the floor as she made eye contact with this ethereal beauty. Was she for real? No way could someone be so perfect, so innocent, so… "Anyway, I'm sorry." Michiru apologized again, interrupting Haruka's thoughts. "I'm new here, and… Well, there is no excuses. I'm really sorry. I hope you're okay." Haruka laughed. "You couldn't harm me by just running into me! Are you okay though?" She asked, her voice turning more serious as she noticed Michiru rubbing her right arm. "Oh, me? Oh, I'm fine." Michiru said, nervously. "I… I better get going. Maybe I'll see you later." And before Haruka even had a chance to respond, the stunning girl had disappeared from sight, just like a mirage.


	2. Silver Heels

**She's Changing Me**  
Silver Heels

Michiru leaned over slyly and whispered into Haruka's ear. _You mean more to me than anyone ever has..._ Suddenly she grabbed Haruka's face in her graceful hands and leaned in towards her... They were so close, Haruka could smell the faint smell of the rose perfume Michiru had dabbed onto her wrists...Their eyes locked with a fiery combination of aquamarine and sapphire...Their lips were seconds away from meeting when... "Jesus!" Haruka awoke with a start. This was the third night in a row that she had dreamed about the gorgeous girl she had met for the first time only days earlier. "Maybe she really was just a figment of my imagination..." No, she couldn't be. She had talked with some of her friends earlier, discreetly asking questions, and they had seen her too... In fact, Ami claimed that she was in her mathematics class. That's how she had found out her name. And Usagi had admitted to spying on her during a break. "I just couldn't help myself!" She told the group when they all started laughing. But that was typical Usagi behaviour. She probably talked to Michiru and told her that she was spying on her. Haruka smiled to herself. Tomorrow she would definitely find her personal goddess. No matter how long it took. After all, there is only...Oh, 500 students at SunnySide...

The wind howled loudly and Michiru shivered as she decided that she'd finally had enough of the great outdoors for one night. She picked up her art supplies and her notebook and opened the patio door and felt grateful that her parents didn't care how long she spent outside... The bright, red digital numbers of the clock in her room made her suddenly feel otherwise. 3:47. I'm going to regret this in a couple of hours. Michiru thought, as she quickly tucked herself under the covers of her fluffy ocean blue bed. As soon as she began to drift off she quickly remembered why she had been avoiding sleep in the first place. To sleep, perchance to dream...The quote echoed through her mind. "And that's just what I can't let happen..." she whispered somewhat sadly into the darkness. "I can't become that sort of girl who falls in lust." But why couldn't she stop thinking about the girl she had run into a couple of days earlier? She had been confused at first, which she even hated to admit to herself, but it was true. Michiru had only found out that the girl she had bumped into was named Haruka Tenoh because of all the pictures and awards that belonged to her in the trophy case which was located right beside the bandroom where she spent much of her free time. The school had high hopes for Haruka, who was a three-time, first place track star all through junior high. I'm probably just wasting my time... Michiru thought. And I do NOT want to do that... In the middle of trying to convince herself that she shouldn't try to find out more about Haruka, let alone find the girl herself, Michiru fell into a peaceful sleep.

"She's different than the other girls..." Haruka said without realizing what she had just said aloud. She was sitting at a table in the cafeteria during lunch hour with three other girls, Ami, Rei, and Usagi. Rei rasied a perfectly groomed eyebrow... "Different, huh? By the sound of it I would guess that Miss Tenoh has a crush on the new girl." Haruka cringed. "I do not have a crush. I'm just curious about her. All I know is that she's famous for her violin concerts. And that's she being developed as an upcoming painter. I want to know more about the girl." The other three girls exchanged looks. This wouldn't be the first time that Haruka had set her sights on a girl and gone after her, no matter what the cost would be. And the cost of this fling would probably be great. After all, Michiru was no average teenager. Haruka quickly saw that her group of friends were about to corner her into a conversation she wasn't about to have. "I've got to go" she mumbled, swallowing the last bite of her Caesar salad. "I'll see you girls tomorrow night for dinner at Poppa's Pizzeria. Don't be late!" She ended her sentence with a wink and then practically ran for the door leading out of the cafeteria. That was too close. Way too close. 

The soothing instrumental music Michiru was listening to on her vintage set of headphones was doing little to calm her nerves. All day long she had been afraid that she would run into Haruka, so whenever she saw someone tall come her way she would immediately change direction. This is ridiculous, the green-haired girl thought, as she pulled the headphones off her ears, and stood up off the bench she was sitting on in a deserted hallway. This isn't going to help. I've already let myself get too involved with this fantasy world, I knew I shouldn't have, I knew I should have just- Michiru's thoughts were interrupted when she felt another body run into hers. Michiru winced. "Excuse me." She said, timidly, "you just stepped on my toe." The figure turned around slowly. "I'm terribly sorry, Michiru Kaioh. I was just in such a rush because...Well, I'm not new. But I guess that isn't an excuse either, is it?" Michiru's eyes opened wide in a mixture of pleasure and despair... This was exactly the person she had tried to hard to avoid. "Oh, it's fine... I guess I better be goi- Wait, how did you know my name?" Michiru questioned, all of a sudden not wanting to go anywhere. Haruka coughed "Well, uh... You're world famous. Of course I would know you." Michiru folded her arms. "Oh, really? Well, I'm not nearly as well-known as you are around this school. Haruka Tenoh- 1st place track star three years running." Haruka looked puzzled. "I can't believe they actually moved my awards from my junior to here..." She laughed, almost to herself. Michiru noticed that she felt very comfortable in the presence of Haruka and not at all awkward like she had imagined countless times in scenarios in her head. "Well, I guess I better go..." Michiru said wistfully, not really wanting to leave, but feeling like if she didn't she would make a huge mistake for anyone to see. Just as she was about to walk away, Haruka grabbed her by her arm. Michiru gulped as a surge of energy ran through her body. "What're you doing tonight?" Haruka asked impulsively. Michiru stared blankly off into space. The answer out of her mouth could alter the course of her entire universe. "Oh, nothing." She said modestly. "I'll probably end up painting a little bit tonight, like I usually do..." She suddenly cut herself off. I talk too much! She scolded herself. Haruka eyed Michiru carefully. "Sounds fun. Well, I'm going to go find my car and head home early... I don't feel like going to class this afternoon. Hopefully we'll run into each other again." This time it was Haruka's turn to start walking away when Michiru grabbed her arm. "Want to give me a lift?" She asked, hoping she wasn't being too forward. Haruka smiled widely showing off her perfectly straight teeth. "I hope my carelessness isn't going to rub off on you too much!" She said, with just the right hint of humour in her voice. Michiru shook her head. "It's just an afternoon of band... I don't feel like putting up with another inquisition." Haruka nodded. "Fair enough. Come on, I parked her out back." 

Haruka closed her eyes. She was still sitting in her sports car, but now she was parked in her own driveway. Haruka sat absolutely still, recalling what had just taken place with Michiru. The event was nothing out of the ordinary, some light conversation... But the feeling she had felt the entire time was surprising. Michiru didn't live that far away from SunnySide high school, but the ride was enjoyable and Haruka felt a sense of security and a sense of contentment, which she had never felt before when she was around a girl that she had feelings for. It all just felt...Right. When she had pulled into the driveway to Michiru's house, number 471, Haruka took a mental picture. Just in case she ever gathered up the courage to make a surprise visit. Haruka suddenly opened her eyes. Tonight, or rather, early tomorrow morning Haruka would make a surprise visit. "I'm not going to sit back and watch her slip out of my grasp. I won't. I've just got to do something instead of wishing she would be my side..." The normally unshaken teen felt a few nerves tightening in her stomach. Maybe this would be harder than she thought.

It was just after two in the morning, and Michiru was sitting out on the patio, painting the stars. Every now and then she would remember what had happened with Haruka earlier in the day and allow herself to smile before she quickly wiped her face clean of any trace of happiness. "I might never see her again..." She said, as loud as she dared, feeling a sense of dread come over her. All of a sudden, everything went dark. "Guess who." Came a familiar voice from behind her. "Haruka...?" She asked bewildered. Haruka removed her hands from covering her eyes and moved in front of her. "You guessed right." Michiru's mouth was still open in surprise. She couldn't believe that the person she had just been thinking about, or rather, not trying to think about, was standing in front of her. "What are you doing here?" Michiru asked, trying to fix her hair discreetly in an attempt to look presentable. Haruka grabbed her hands. "Stop trying to pretty up for me. It isn't possible. You're already more gorgeous than the sun, moon, and stars combined." Michiru blushed deeply, which only worked to enhance her natural beauty. "I don't mean to be forward" Haruka said, only partially honest. "But I just had to see you again. I feel like I know so much about you, but I don't know you." Michiru looked up at Haruka with her wide and magical aquamarine eyes. "I feel the same way, I do. But I didn't want to be presumptuous...I mean, what would someone like you want with someone like me?" Michiru instantly regretted saying that. Haruka grabbed Michiru by the shoulders. "You're so foolish! Anybody, guy or girl would be more than lucky to have you in their lives. They would be blessed!" Michiru looked into Haruka's twinkling sapphire eyes. "You mean it?" She asked. "I wouldn't lie to you." Michiru tilted her head up and Haruka bent over to get closer to Michiru. This is it. Michiru thought. I can't believe I'm going to do this. Haruka cupped Michiru's face with her strong hands and leaned in. Their lips met. A sweet first kiss, full of passion, and mixed with hope. With a background of a near-perfect starry night, it could only get better from here.

So they hoped.


End file.
